Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 515’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Euphorbia  plant named ‘Bonpri 515’, characterized by its upright and mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; inflorescences with multiple bright red purple-colored flower bracts; relatively small cyathia; and good post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONPRI 515’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, an interspecific hybrid botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Bonpri 515’.

The new Euphorbia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new interspecific Euphorbia plants with upright and mounded plant habit and multiple bright red purple-colored flower bracts per inflorescence.

The new Euphorbia plant originated from a cross-pollination by the Inventor in June, 2005 of a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch identified as code number 392, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentified proprietary selection of Euphorbia cornastra, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Euphorbia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia in November, 2006.

Asexual reproduction of the new Euphorbia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia since November, 2006 has shown that the unique features of this new Euphorbia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bonpri 515’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bonpri 515’ as a new and distinct Euphorbia plant:

-   -   1. Upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Inflorescences with multiple bright red purple-colored flower         bracts.     -   6. Relatively small cyathia.     -   7. Good post-production longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more compact than plants of         the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia and the female parent selection         differ in flower bract color as plants of the female parent         selection have speckled pink-colored flower bracts.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more compact than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia and the male parent selection         differ in flower bract color as plants of the male parent         selection have pink-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can be compared to plants of the Euphorbia pulcherrima×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Eckcory’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,849. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differed from plants of ‘Eckcory’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia were larger and more vigorous         than plants of ‘Eckcory’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia had thicker lateral branches than         plants of ‘Eckcory’.     -   3. Plants of the new Euphorbia larger leaves than plants of         ‘Eckcory’.     -   4. Plants of the new Euphorbia had larger inflorescences with         larger flower bracts than plants of ‘Eckcory’.     -   5. Inflorescences of plants of the new Euphorbia had about four         times as many flower bracts as inflorescences of plants of         ‘Eckcory’.     -   6. Flower bracts of plants of the new Euphorbia were more         upright than flower bracts of plants of ‘Eckcory’.     -   7. Flower bracts of plants of the new Euphorbia and ‘Eckcory’         differed slightly in color.     -   8. Plants of the new Euphorbia had smaller cyathia than plants         of ‘Eckcory’.     -   9. Plants of the new Euphorbia had shorter flower bract petioles         than plants of ‘Eckcory’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Euphorbia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Euphorbia plant.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonpri 515’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bonpri 515’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and herewith described in detail were grown in 12-cm containers during the autumn in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial Euphorbia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 23° C. and night temperatures averaged 13° C. Plants were pinched one time and were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fourth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex     Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 515’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia             pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch identified as code number             392, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified proprietary selection             of Euphorbia cornastra, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About seven days at 20° C.             to 25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About nine days at 20° C. to             22° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at 20° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at 20° C. to 22° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Upright and mounded plant habit;             inverted triangle; inflorescences positioned above the             foliar plane; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 25.8 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 33.1 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Branching habit: Freely             branching habit, about three to four lateral branches             develop per plant; pinching enhances lateral branch             development. Length: About 16.6 cm. Diameter: About 6.2 mm.             Internode length: About 2.6 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to             146A.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 11 cm. Width: About 7.4 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute.             Base: Rounded. Margin: Shallowly serrulate. Venation             pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper             surface: Close to 143A. Developing leaves, lower surface:             Close to 144A. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Close             to N137A; venation, close to 145B. Fully developed leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137C; venation, close to 145B.             Petioles: Length: About 3.9 cm. Diameter: About 2.4 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent.             Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 145B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with numerous flower bracts subtending             the cyathia; inflorescences positioned above the foliar             plane.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—One inflorescence develops per             lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 17 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 6.3 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower during the             autumn and winter in Japan; inflorescence initiation and             development can also be induced under artificial long             nyctoperiod and short photoperiod conditions; early             flowering habit, plants flower about 50 days under natural             season conditions in Japan.         -   Post-production longevity.—Good post-production longevity;             plants of the new Euphorbia maintain good substance and             bract color for about six weeks.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: Numerous,             about 35. Length, largest bracts: About 9.1 cm. Width,             largest bracts: About 5.3 cm. Shape: Ovate to lanceolate.             Apex: Cuspidate. Base: Rounded. Margin: Entire to shallowly             serrulate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Aspect: Semi-upright to horizontal. Venation             pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Color: Transitional bracts,             upper surface: Close to 138B and N57B; towards the margins,             close to 165A. Transitional bracts, lower surface: Close to             NN155A and 70C; towards the margins, close to 138A to 138B.             Fully expanded bracts, immature, upper surface: Close to             53B. Fully expanded bracts, immature, lower surface: Close             to 53D. Fully expanded bracts, mature, upper surface: Close             to 58B; venation, close to 58A to 58B. Fully expanded             bracts, mature, lower surface: Close to 67D; venation, close             to 145C. Flower bract petioles: Length: About 8.1 mm.             Diameter: About 1.7 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: Close to N57B.             Color, lower surface: Close to 145A.         -   Cyathia.—Quantity per corymb: About 30. Diameter of cyathia             cluster: About 4 cm. Height, individual cyathium: About             2.4 mm. Diameter, individual cyathium: About 1.6 mm. Shape,             individual cyathium: Globose; sessile. Color: Close to 144C.             Nectaries: Nectary development has not been observed on             plants of the new Euphorbia.         -   Reproductive organs.—Reproductive organ development has not             been observed on plants of the new Euphorbia.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Euphorbia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Euphorbia     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 8° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 515’ as illustrated and described. 